1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to emergency vehicles and more specifically to an emergency vehicle alert system which informs the driver of a motor vehicle that an emergency vehicle is close and its location relative to the motor vehicle.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
The major challenge for emergency vehicles is traveling through traffic as quickly and safely as possible to get to its destination. At this point in time, the only way for an emergency vehicle to alert vehicles in its path is through an audible siren and emergency lights. Many times, an emergency vehicle coming from behind a motor vehicle cannot be seen or heard until the emergency vehicle is right on top of the motor vehicle. It takes time for the driver to react and maneuver to a location which does not obstruct the emergency vehicle. A more dangerous situation is an emergency vehicle crossing an intersection. It is very difficult for the drivers of oncoming traffic to see or hear an emergency vehicle xe2x80x9cburiedxe2x80x9d in an intersection. The inability of sirens and emergency lights to fully warn motorists of an emergency vehicle""s presence results in thousands of accidents each year.
There have been some proposed solutions to the limitations of sirens and emergency lights. A first solution is the use of optical detectors at an intersection that detect light signals emitted from an approaching emergency vehicle. The optical detector would manipulate the traffic signal for oncoming traffic. The drawback to this device is the lack of warning when the emergency vehicle is coming from behind a motor vehicle.
A second solution is the use of a radar detector. Radar detectors would be used to detect a signal transmitted from an emergency vehicle. One drawback is that false triggering may result in motorist turning off the radar detector out of frustration. Further, the location and distance of the emergency vehicle relative to the motor vehicle would not be available.
A third solution is transmission of an RF signal from an emergency vehicle. Each motor vehicle would have an RF receiver which would receive the RF signal. The distance of the emergency vehicle from the motor vehicle would be displayed on a plurality of lights. Each light would have a value of a particular distance from the emergency vehicle. However, the location of the emergency vehicle relative to the motor vehicle would not be available.
Accordingly, there is a clearly felt need in the art for an emergency vehicle alert system which warns the driver of a motor vehicle that an emergency vehicle is close and its location relative to the motor vehicle.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide an emergency vehicle alert system which warns the driver of a motor vehicle that an emergency vehicle is close and its location relative to the motor vehicle.
According to the present invention, an emergency vehicle alert system includes an emergency vehicle unit, a motor vehicle unit and at least three global positioning system (GPS) signals. The emergency vehicle unit includes an emergency GPS antenna, emergency GPS receiver, RF transmitter, emergency RF antenna, and emergency power source. The motor vehicle unit includes a vehicle GPS antenna, vehicle GPS receiver, vehicle RF antenna, RF receiver, microcontroller, warning display, and vehicle power source.
The at least three GPS signals are continuously broadcast from a plurality of GPS satellites. The emergency GPS antenna receives signals from the plurality of GPS satellites. The at least three GPS signals are input into the emergency GPS receiver. The emergency GPS receiver triangulates the at least three GPS signals into an emergency location signal string which is described by a particular longitude and latitude. The longitude and latitude information is inputed into the emergency RF transmitter and broadcast through the emergency RF antenna.
Each vehicle RF antenna which is within range of the emergency vehicle transmission will receive the emergency vehicle longitude and latitude information. The RF receiver inputs the information and sends the emergency vehicle longitude and latitude information to the microcontroller. The vehicle GPS antenna receives at least three different GPS signals from the plurality of GPS satellites. The at least three different GPS signals are input into the vehicle GPS receiver. The vehicle GPS receiver outputs a vehicle location signal string having longitude, latitude, and heading into the microcontroller. The microcontroller compares the location of the emergency vehicle to the location of the motor vehicle. Preferably, the microcontroller will enable at least one of four indicator lamps which indicate the location of the emergency vehicle relative to the motor vehicle.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an emergency vehicle alert system which informs a motor vehicle driver of the location of an emergency vehicle relative to their motor vehicle.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an emergency vehicle alert system which does not require installations at street intersections.
Finally, it is another object of the present invention to provide an emergency vehicle alert system which informs a driver when an emergency vehicle is close to their motor vehicle.
These and additional objects, advantages, features and benefits of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification.